EDUCATION
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Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree from Stony Brook University, NY, USA (2019)
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Master of Musical Arts (MA) Degree from The Jazz Vocal Performance Program at Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, NY, USA (2014)
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Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree from Pop and Jazz Department of National Music Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria (1996 )
Disciplines and Instructors
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Voice and Performance - JD Walter, Charenne Wade, Dee Daniels, and Brenda Harris;
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Jazz Harmony - David Berkman;
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Arranging and Composition - Michael Mossman, Ray Anderson;
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Improvisation - Ray Anderson, Antonio Hart and David Berkman;
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Piano - Jeb Patton;
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Jazz History - Howard Brofsky;
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Musicianship - Perry Goldstein.
Teaching Experience
2008 - 2012
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Adjunct Voice Lecturer at Contemporary Music Performance Department of LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore;
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Private voice teacher at United World College, German International School, Saint Joseph Institution International, Singapore.
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Private practice.
2014 - 2017
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Voice teacher at Gold Coast Art Center (GCAC) at Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA.
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Voice teacher at Music, Art & Dance School of Douglaston, New York, USA.
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Private practice.
2017 - 2019
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Teaching Assistant and Jazz Ensembles Instructor at Stony Brook University, Long Island, New York, USA.
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Voice teacher at Gold Coast Art Center (GCAC) at Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA.
INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
Current location - Singapore
Lessons rates:
SGD 100 per 60 mins
SGD 80 per 45 mins
Inquiries on bookings or more information about the voice lessons:
Online lessons rates:
SGD 90 per 60mins
SGD 70 per 45mins
Online voice lessons are available via Zoom and FaceTime.
Course of Studies
BEGINNERS / INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS
Vocal Technique and Vocal Health
- Breath Support / Management - The Quiet Breath (Bel Canto technique),
- Resonance / Placement for Jazz or Pop Vocal,
- Vocal Registers - Connecting the vocal registers,
- Extending the Vocal Range,
- Keeping low larynx and an open throat,
- Articulation - Vowels - Forming the vowels in American English,
- Phrasing for jazz and pop music styles,
- Using different tone colors for jazz or pop music,
- Vocal Health.
Jazz Repertoire topics
- Learning popular jazz standards - The Great American Songbook,
- Song form and choosing the right key,
- Storytelling a.k.a Learning the Lyrics,
- Knowing how to listen to the jazz greats and finding different versions of a tune,
- Melody and Harmony,
- The Blues,
- Rhythm Exercises for swing feel - The triplet in eight notes, quarter notes, half notes,
- Making the lyrics swing,
- Phrasing and para-phrasing (second choruses with lyrics), backward or forward phrasing, phrasing "over the bar",
- Writing your own charts,
- Songwriting and arranging (for advanced students)
Pop Repertoire topics
- Choosing your songs.
- Song form and choosing the right key.
- Storytelling a.k.a. Learning the Lyrics.
- Style - tone color, riffs and embellishments.
- Listening to different vocalists and learning from them.
- Melody and harmony - pentatonic and blues scale (for advanced students.)
- Songwriting and arranging (for advanced students.)
ADVANCED JAZZ STUDENTS
- Vocal Improvisation - Scat!
- Rhythm - The triplet in eight notes, quarter notes, half notes, 16 notes, and practicing with a metronome.
- Knowing the melody...but really knowing the melody!
- Learning the harmonic language of a tune by singing: roots and outlining chord changes, basic patterns over the chord changes: 1231, 1235, 1345, etc., scales corresponding to the chords, creating guide lines, the 2-5-1 harmonic structure.
- The Blues Form and Rhythm Changes!
- Playing basic piano for singers!
- Transcriptions and their importance in hearing the jazz language!
- Songwriting.
- Arranging.
CHILDREN AGED 5 - 12
- Posture and breathing for singing.
- Introducing basic warm up scales.
- Learning to sing the vowels.
- Working on popular children’s songs from Musicals, Disney movies or the current Pop repertoire.
- Basic ear-training and music theory.